Games worth discovering

Dadish 3 Review: When Field Trips Go Radishly Wrong

7K View2022-06-27

I don’t have kids, but if I was a single parent, I feel like I’d go crazy worrying about them. Being a parent seems like hard work, harder than I feel capable of. I say that now, knowing I’ve never experienced this significant life change, but perhaps I can simulate what fatherhood would be like through games. Well, sort of? Dadish 3 placed me into the role of a father trying to save his children from a bus trip gone wrong. There’s just one catch: That dad and his kids are all radishes!

Dadish 3 is a free-to-play retro 2D pixel platformer featuring fifty playable levels full of all sorts of puzzles, unlockable secrets, and enemies. It’s the third game in the series, but prior knowledge of the deep Dadish universe lore isn’t a requirement to enjoy this entry. For this game, you’ll embark on your dadventure as your radish children board a suspicious bus that takes them far away. Save them from turning into radish soup by venturing into unknown lands and eliminating stage bosses along the journey.

Image Credited to Dadish 3 | Thomas K Young

Like all platformers, Dadish 3’s storyline merely serves as a light motive for your adventure. There isn’t any real in-depth narrative besides the goofy conversations between Dadish and his children and estranged spouse. And if you thought a game about radishes was unusual, wait ‘till you read the dialogue between Dadish and his family. I was mostly just confused whenever I read the story tidbits between Dadish and his family, but I guess what more would I expect out of a bunch of vegetables?

Dadish 3’s gameplay mechanics are relatively straightforward: You have to solve all kinds of puzzles, defeat sugary enemies, and stay alive. Don’t worry too much, though; if you die, you simply respawn at the beginning of the level. That’s not to say death was an uncommon occurrence for me. I’d love to say playing is as easy as typing this all out, but Dadish 3 is actually quite challenging. Prepare to sweat, jolt, and smack your head when you die just because you were an inch short on your jump toward some faraway platform.

Image Credited to Dadish 3 | Thomas K Young

While Dadish has fairly standard, limited platforming controls—he can go left and right and jump, and that’s about it—the game’s many levels introduce lots of mechanics and obstacles that expand on his capabilities. Trampolines boost Dadish, some floors disappear after a touch, his estranged wife offers some help, and there’s even a dolphin he can ride through water and slime. These are only a handful of examples of what Dadish 3 has in store, but it’s the combination of all of these small mechanics in Dadish 3 that make up a challenging and oddly fun experience.

To make it through Dadish 3, you’ll need to be patient and precise even as you take calculated risks. I found that when I second-guessed my gut instinct when launching across an area with spikes or walking under clouds that dropped bombs, that’s often when I died. Dadish 3 can be a little challenging if you’re not focused or committed. If you think you can make that cliff jump, go for it. You’ll be surprised by what happens when you play confidently. With every boss I defeated, though, I mastered more of the game's move set and was able to utilize my improving skills to clear subsequence stages. Sometimes the challenge got a little tiring, of course, but overcoming that struggle made for an even more fulfilling experience.

Image Credited to Dadish 3 | Thomas K Young

Dadish 3’s only major problem is its use of frequent ads at times outside of my choosing. A thirty-second ad popped up almost every time I died, serving as both an extra source of frustration from deaths and also perhaps a mild motivator for me to be a little more cautious around platform edges. Of course if the ads become a serious annoyance, you can get rid of them with a $4.99 purchase.

Any platformer worth playing has to pull off one challenging feature above all else: intricately crafted and enjoyable levels. Dadish 3 doesn’t fall short on this beet, with fantastic puzzles and plenty of tough enemies to overcome. This game is rooted in a very simple concept, but developer Thomas K Young’s effort shines through with smart mechanics and a fun core experience.

SCORE: 4 STARS OUT OF 5

PLAY IF YOU LIKE:

• The Mario series. If you’ve ever played Super Mario World or any of the games in the series, you’ll love Dadish 3 for its platforming experience.

• Dadish or Dadish 2. This goes without saying, if you loved every game in the series, you’ll most likely enjoy playing Dadish 3.

💬 Check out Dadish 3 and let me know what you think of it in the comments below! Do you like radishes? If not, what’s your favorite vegetable to eat?

CHECK OUT SOME OTHER RECENT REVIEWS FROM TAPTAP: